Time invested in long-term energy efficiency planning is paying off for one Central Valley school district.

Clovis Unified School District, located northeast of Fresno, created an energy conservation and efficiency program in 2008. The program’s goals were to maintain comfort and safety at school facilities, eliminate energy waste, and save on utility costs.

With such goals in mind, the district applied in 2014 to receive Clean Energy Jobs Act Program (Proposition 39) funds to help eliminate energy waste and increase energy efficiency. The district used its $3.3 million grant at 14 of the district’s 42 K-12 schools. Projects included replacing interior and exterior lighting, replacing heating and air conditioning units, and installing energy efficient pool pumps.

The Proposition 39 K-12 Program, which the California Energy Commission administers, helps schools improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation at schools. It is a voter-approved initiative that adjusted the corporate income tax code and allocated revenues to school districts for energy improvements to facilities.

Stuart Ogren, who is the energy management coordinator for Clovis Unified, believes energy management helps the district keep energy costs stable even while the district has added new schools. The measures installed with Proposition 39 funds are estimated to save the district nearly $300,000 a year in utility costs.

“What it allows us to do is put the money back to the students and programs for the students. And, that is where it’s most important,” said Ogren.

Clovis Unified is working to make its campuses more environmentally friendly and save money by using efficiency dollars provided by local utilities and the state. The district, which is eligible for another $5.5 million in Proposition 39 funds, intends to submit plans for those dollars before the program’s August 2017 deadline.

Last month, five electric buses hit the streets in economically disadvantaged communities throughout the city of Gardena as part of a project that will improve local air quality, provide workforce development and help grow the state’s green economy.

The buses are quiet, so quiet that recorded messages now indicate their movements for the visually impaired. But they have oomph, so much so that drivers must be reminded to accelerate with care and tell passengers to hold on tight during departures.

In 2016, Gardena’s public transit agency, GTrans, took the five buses from its fleet of aging hybrid gasoline-electric buses, stripped them down to the frame and rebuilt them with clean zero-emissions, battery-electric propulsion systems. The new buses also include energy efficiency upgrades such as LED lighting and ultraviolet reflective windows for heat reduction.

Conversion of the buses was made possible by a $2.7 million grant to GTrans from the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), which to date has invested more than $748 million to support advancements in alternative, renewable fuels and the vehicles powered by them. Other project partners include Complete Coach Works, CALSTART and the Southern California Regional Transit Training Consortium.

“The California Energy Commission is pleased to support GTrans’ work to provide the diverse and disadvantaged communities it serves with increased public access to advanced, clean transportation,” said Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott.

“GTrans’ partnership with Complete Coach Works to retrofit buses with zero-emissions technology helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and provides a pathway to clean-transportation jobs throughout the region.”

The current pilot project has provided local workforce development for a diverse crew of employees who built the buses. It also provides employment for workers needed to drive the buses and maintain them.

Complete Coach Works’ diverse and highly trained workforce retrofitted the buses at its facility in Riverside. Adding the service of remanufacturing transit buses with Zero Emission Propulsion System technology has enabled Complete Coach Works to add more than 50 employees. The facility takes pride in employing people from various ethnicities and backgrounds.

GTrans aims to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 99 percent in the next six years by converting 20 percent of its fleet to all-electric propulsion, and the rest to run on compressed natural gas. This test run will help determine if it is feasible for GTrans to convert additional buses to electric from its existing fleet, rather than buy new vehicles.

It will also lay the groundwork for other transit agencies across the country looking for green transportation options.

Long noted for suntanned hills decorated with shiny wind turbines, the landscape at Altamont Pass is changing. A new project will replace hundreds of aging turbines with less than two dozen state-of-the-art ones, helping to preserve open space.

That project, called Golden Hills North, is installing new turbines that will generate more power and reduce visual impacts. NextEra Energy has an agreement to sell electricity from the project, which is located east of the Bay Area, to Sonoma Clean Power.

“The project is yet another example of how California is leading the way to a clean energy future,” said California Energy Commissioner David Hochschild at a May 24 groundbreaking ceremony. “Replacing some of the earliest wind technology with modern, efficient turbines, and allowing an opportunity for a public utility like Sonoma Clean Power to invest directly in clean energy for its citizens helps both reduce the cost of electricity and the impact of facilities like this one on our environment.”

One of the wind turbines at Altamont Pass

At the project, 283 turbines, some of which are 30 years old, will be replaced with just 20. The project will have the capacity to produce 46 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 13,500 homes.

In California, the vast majority of wind generating capacity and output are located in three regions: the Altamont Pass between Livermore in Alameda Country and Tracy in Contra Costa County, the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs in Riverside County and Tehachapi Pass near Bakersfield in Kern County.

California is committed to taking action against climate change. The state has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. One of the steps taken to achieve the goal is increasing the use of renewable energy.

Senate Bill 350 calls for California to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The state is currently ahead of the pace needed to reach that goal, with 27 percent of its electrical retail sales coming from renewable energy in 2016.

California is a national leader in the wind industry, ranking fourth in the nation for wind power installations and having at least 12 wind-related manufacturing facilities, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Thirteen mobile, solar-powered charging units for electric vehicles are being deployed in disadvantaged, rural communities throughout Fresno County, making plug-in electric vehicles a more viable option for those who live and work in this underserved area of the state.

Increased access to chargers supports efforts to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the San Joaquin Valley, which has some of the worst air quality in the nation. The project also helps California reach its aim of getting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on the road by 2025.

Deployment of the charging stations is the result of a partnership between CALSTART, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Fresno County Rural Transit Agency and Caltrans.

The California Energy Commission supported the project through a $1.2 million grant to CALSTART that helped establish the San Joaquin Transportation Center, which helped develop plans to deploy the chargers.

“The Energy Commission is proud to be a partner in this and ongoing efforts to help the San Joaquin Valley attain its air quality goals by accelerating the use of zero-emission vehicles and clean fuels,” said Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott, who attended a May 24 unveiling event for the project in Fowler.

The innovative chargers, built by Envision Solar, do not require access to the electrical grid. They come ready to charge up to three vehicles at a time, and can easily be moved to another location to increase public access. The units also include battery storage, meaning they can be used night or day.

The Energy Commission grant to establish the San Joaquin Transportation Center was awarded through the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), which has invested more than $748 million to date to support advancements in alternative, renewable fuels and the vehicles powered by them.

The center works to speed deployment of lower emission vehicles and help improve air quality in the San Joaquin Valley by making a variety of resources available to local residents, businesses, governments and others.

The Energy Commission has also made numerous other investments to resolve barriers to adoption of ZEVs and clean fuels in the San Joaquin Valley.

San Juan Unified has applied for more than $5 million in Proposition 39 grants and has also received money through a local bond measure to fund energy projects.

Energy Manager Chris Ralston said the district focused on a variety of energy saving measures, with the most savings coming from light-emitting diodes (LED) lighting retrofit at all school sites.

LED lighting and other measures such as HVAC upgrades, lighting controls, and behavioral changes such as consistent temperatures for heating and air conditioning units, have produced results. During the first months of the 2016-2017 fiscal year, electricity use declined 10.5 percent and the district saved $241,000 in utility costs, according to the district.

“The current report shows savings from the first two phases of the LED lighting projects,” Ralston said. “We expect the next report to show more savings because it will reflect that all of our schools have been using LED lighting.”

To search K-12 school district and community college district projects, visit the Energy Commission’s searchable database.

]]>https://btceuro.net/2017/05/22/led-lighting-helps-san-juan-unified-realize-utility-savings/feed/0Phase Out Looms for Power Plants That Use Water for Coolinghttps://btceuro.net/2017/05/17/phase-out-looms-for-power-plants-that-use-water-for-cooling/
https://btceuro.net/2017/05/17/phase-out-looms-for-power-plants-that-use-water-for-cooling/#respondWed, 17 May 2017 21:58:00 +0000http://btceuro.net/2017/05/17/phase-out-looms-for-power-plants-that-use-water-for-cooling/

The end is looming for aging power plants in California that use an ecologically detrimental process called “once-through cooling” (OTC) that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is requiring to be phased out.

In OTC, power plants draw water from oceans, estuaries, lakes or rivers to cool steam after it has passed through a turbine to create power. But, the process results in the yearly loss of billions of aquatic organisms, including fish larvae and shellfish.

Some power plant owners are choosing to retire facilities rather than spending the money to comply with the SWRCB. Between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016, seven power plants units that use OTC were retired, according to a tracking progress report from the California Energy Commission.

In 2007, there were 19 power plants in California that used OTC, including the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. These two nuclear plants accounted for 55 percent of all OTC water use.

San Onofre shut down permanently in 2013, while Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled to be permanently retired in 2025.

The phase out of OTC has been underway since a 2010 SWRCB policy required power plant operators to reduce the harmful effects of OTC by installing evaporative cooling technology that would reduce water intake.

The policy was meant to achieve water quality goals while ensuring electrical grid reliability. It included recommendations made by the California Independent System Operator, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the Energy Commission.

Plants using OTC have to comply with the policy by 2024. The compliance date for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which will affect the plants in the Los Angeles region, was extended to the end of 2029. Implementing the policy before then would create grid reliability issues.

All power plants are expected to comply with the policy by 2030. Renewable energy is expected to make up for the lost energy capacity from retiring plants early.

Photo of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant courtesy of Pacific Gas and Electric Company

California has been a guiding light in our nation’s economic recovery. Our state now leads the nation in economic growth and has cut the unemployment rate in half since 2011. California’s clean energy sector, propelled by policies adopted by Governor Jerry Brown and the State Legislature, has turned out to be an important part of this success. California’s solar industry, for example, now employs more than 100,000 people, almost double the number of people who work for all the state’s electric utilities combined.

One of the most important policies helping California build a clean energy future is Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). This program enables local property owners to finance the total cost of certain efficiency and clean energy upgrades – like solar panels and efficient heating and cooling systems – and then repay those costs through their property tax bills. By removing the barrier of high up-front costs and providing longer repayment term options that lower the effective monthly payment, PACE is making it easier for Californians to make smart investments that reduce their energy and water use. PACE programs have now expanded to 50 out of 58 counties in the state and are available to the majority of Californians.

While the environmental benefits of the residential PACE program in California are clear – with greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 1.7 million cars from our roads – PACE is also serving as an economic stimulus program that rivals the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in clean energy jobs and investment, but without using any taxpayer money. While the taxpayer-funded ARRA directed $2.59 billion to support grants, tax credits and other funding across a variety of California’s clean energy sectors, the privately-administered residential PACE programs have now financed $2.77 billion in home efficiency upgrades. PACE has also outpaced ARRA in clean energy job creation, helping add 28,500 in-state jobs compared to the 17,000 clean energy jobs the federal stimulus package helped create in California.

Most importantly, Californians are seeing real benefits. Without spending taxpayer money, residential PACE is responsible for financing home upgrades for 125,000 California homes. Last year alone, 65,000 California homeowners benefitted from $1.57 billion in PACE-funded efficiency improvements. Collectively, these homeowners can expect to save about $2 billion on future utility bills. That’s extra money in the pockets of hardworking homeowners across California. As this important program expands, it’s critical we continue to do everything we can to protect consumers.

As of January 1, thanks to Governor Brown and the State Legislature, a new law now requires that PACE providers extend the same level of disclosure to customers as mortgage lenders do, including a three day right for any customer to cancel a contract. These protections make the PACE program even stronger. For California to continue to lead our nation out of the recession and toward a clean and efficient energy future, our state must remain a leader in PACE financing, for the sake of our residents, our economy and our environment.

Moving the state away from natural gas use in residential and commercial buildings may be a tool in the goal of decarbonizing buildings in California.

That was the message delivered by Rachel Golden, senior campaign representative with the Sierra Club, during a talk on decarbonizing buildings at the California Energy Commission. Scientists Merrian Borgeson and Pierre Delforge from the Natural Resources Defense Council joined Golden in the talk.

Most of the natural gas used in homes in California is used for space and water heating.

California Residential Natural Gas Consumption Breakdown – 2012

The natural gas industry is an emitter of carbon dioxide and a significant source of methane emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential more than 25 times that of carbon dioxide.

The combined residential and commercial building sectors in California consume approximately one‐third of total natural gas usage.

California also uses a higher percentage of natural gas to heat homes compared to the rest of the United States.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2015)

Golden sees the carbon footprint of natural gas use in buildings as “significant.”

“It’s basically equivalent to that of all in-state power plants,” Golden said. “And those emissions don’t even include the methane leakage that happens on a distribution level.”

She said natural gas use in buildings is incompatible with the state’s long-term climate goals.

“If we don’t make progress in decarbonizing buildings emissions from the building sector, mostly from heating fuels, it could take up most of the allowable carbon budget by 2050,” said Golden.

A possible tool for wresting residential buildings off natural gas is the heat pump for home heating. That technology works like a refrigerator in reverse. Instead of burning fuel to create heat, the pumps use electricity to take heat from ambient air for use inside a home.

“They’re two to four times as efficient as electric heaters,” said Borgeson. “The efficiencies are quite high – you’re looking at around 250 percent efficiency for many regions in California.”

California’s building code is updated every three years. Several state agencies contribute to the code change, which the Building Standards Commission adopts. It is the responsibility of building officials in cities and counties to understand that code and ensure it is followed when a new home or building is being constructed.

The officials must become experts on fire, plumbing, electrical, and energy codes. To understand each section of code, the California Building Officials (CALBO) Association partners with nonprofits and state agencies, such as the California Energy Commission, to assist in training.

The Energy Commission is responsible for the Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The agency also assists in education and training to understand this section of the code.

Christopher Olvera, outreach and education supervisor for the Energy Commission’s Efficiency Division, was named CALBO’s educator of the year. According to the association, the award is given to a nominee who seeks to educate the current and next generation of code officials.

“Olvera is a familiar face within the CALBO community, understanding both sides of the energy conversation,” the award announcement stated.

Olvera’s team has worked on developing a range of resources to help make the complex energy efficiency standards easier to understand.

The Energy Commission’s online resource center has training materials for specific sections of the energy efficiency standards. Olvera’s team has developed tools, presentations and resources to support enforcement agencies’ verification of compliance. There is a fully-staffed hotline to help with specific situations.

The Efficiency Division’s outreach and education unit also sends Blueprint, a quarterly newsletter, to stakeholders with important information, clarification and frequently asked questions.

Building officials, contractors, architects and those with compliance questions can contact the Energy Commission’s Energy Standards Hotline toll-free at (800) 772-3300 or (916) 654-5106 or email title24@energy.ca.gov.

Various studies show that students perform better in modern learning environments. According to the California Department of Education, modern learning environments are not what you find in about 70 percent of classrooms in the state because they are more than 25 years old.

To address this, the Clean Energy Jobs Act (Proposition 39) K-12 Program helps schools improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation in schools. This is a voter approved initiative that adjusted the corporate income tax code and allocate projected revenues to school districts for energy improvements to facilities.

In the second annual report to the Legislature, the Proposition 39 Citizens Oversight Board provides an overview of programs from the California Energy Commission, California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Workforce Development Board, and California Conservation Corps. A jobs report from the Workforce Development Board was also included in the report.

The report includes information and project data from the Energy Commission covering December 2013 through June 2016.

During that time $827 million in K-12 Program grant funding for energy efficiency upgrades was approved. This includes approval of 981 energy project applications by 914 school districts, benefitting 3,519 project school sites. Fifty-two school districts with completed project reports represent $27 million of Proposition 39 funding.

An additional 174 school districts have completed project construction and have shifted into the data collection phase. This represents $104 million in Proposition 39 funding. Another 733 energy projects are still in the construction phase, with $151 million in Proposition 39 expenditures.

From June 2016 through March 2017, an additional $260 million was approved.

In the report, the board stated that “we are very happy to see that the participation rates are similar between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged Local Educational Agencies, possibly reflecting the fact that the Energy Commission staff took seriously our recommendation from last year on better outreach to smaller, less well-resourced schools.”

The board also made nine recommendations to help strengthen the program across all state agencies. The most pressing recommendation was to extend the Energy Commission’s K-12 Program deadline. The program requires schools to complete steps to secure and contract out for funds by June 30, 2018, meaning applications to the Energy Commission must be received by August 1, 2017. The report identified this timeline as a major challenge to the program. The current deadline effectively shortens the program by eleven months, cutting projected benefits such as job creation, energy and cost savings, and non-energy benefits.